American Noir Film Analysis

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The American noir film that I reviewed this week was the 1950’s, Sunset Boulevard. Directed by writer, producer, Billy Wilder. This film starts of in a reverse order with a caravan of police racing down a road to an estate, reveling a master shot of a crime scene against a mansion with one of the main characters Joe Gillis played by actor William holder dead in a backyard pool floating face down as the camera cants up to revels a the underwater view of Joes open eyed stare, floating with a backdrop of police and camera men snapping photos. This approach following the style of Film noir with its low key lighting and opening morbid scene set this film noirs narrative. This scene along with vocal narration by Joe leads the audience to the beginning …show more content…
He’s an out of work screenwriter attempting to find work in the film industry and in imminent threat of losing all of his possessions. In the next scene we experience Joe attempting to find work by meeting with a producer to present what he thinks will be a hit story “bases loaded,” we are introduced to another key actor in the film Betty Schaefer played by Nancy Holden, who has a youthful persona and natural feminine quality to her character. Later after love interest develops with Joe becomes an unwitting victim of a love triangle that she attempts to understand. Joes Character continued display of desperation In an attempt to elude creditors trying to take possession of his car he fleas and finds himself in a mansion of eccentric and flamboyant silent era film star Gloria Swanson played by Norma Desmond who herself is longing for a revival of her

career in film. Gloria’s varied emotional states mixed with her sense of authority over her environment sets the stage for unconventional actions in the film not expected of a women, that we would have normally seen under older conservative roles. Norma’s portrayal in the film was true to her character of a silent film era star with her exaggerated over the top gestures and facial expressions. Her characters delusion in the film also adds to the development of the tragic events which unfold later in the
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